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(ModeL) G. S. MORSE.

KNEE STOP FOR ORG-ANS.

No. 268,520. Patented D00. 5, 1882.

WITNESSBfi INVENTOR BY i9 ATTORNEYS.-

N. PETER-s Pholo-Lmognphen wmin wn. D (Iv PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. MORSE, OF COLUMBIA, MISSOURI.

KNEE-STOP FOR ORGANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,520, dated December 5, 1882,

Application filed May 22, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. MORSE, of Oolum bia, in the county of Boone and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Knee-Stops of Reed-Organs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements of the knee-stops used in reed-organs to open all the stops that have not been already opened by hand,

The object of the invention is to permit opening or closing the several stops gradually or successively.

The invention consists in an improvement in the knee-stop,- by which, when applied to the common kneestop, it will open the difi'erent hand-stops successively; and it consists of an uneven surface or points that come in contact with the difierent hand-stops, opening and closing them successively instead of simultaneously, as is done by the common knee-stop, which has its surface plain and all points of contact with the hand-stops even. \Vhen the knee-stop action isa rocker-shaft provided with. a flange, my invention consists of irregular or graded cam-projections of ditferent heights on the flange, whereby when the pressure of the flange is made on the diii'erent hand-stops they are actedon and opened successively; or the flange can remain unchanged, and the hand-stops, at the points at which the flange presses on them,can be made uneven orgraded. Thus, being of difl'erent heights, the action of the knee-stop on them would he the same. When the knee-stop action is a wire or rod pressing on the hand-stop, my invention consists of the wire itself being bent, so as to make the points of contact with the hand-stops graduated, or making the graduation in the handstops as before; also, when the knee-stop is a drop pressingon and openingthe hand-stops, my invention consists of its surface at the points in contact with the hand-stops being graded or made irregular, or else grading the hand-stops, as may be desired. So, whatever the kneestop action may be, whether like the abovespecified or any other device producing the same effect, the points of contact of the knee-stop, acting on the hand-stops, are made irregular or graded, so as to open and (ModeL) close the different hand-stops successively; and this graduation may be made in the kneestop itself or by varying the hand-stops. By a slight pressure of the kneestop the first or highest point of contact of the hand or knee stop will act on the stops belowit, first by further pressure, the next highest point will act on the stops beneath it, and so on, whereby the several stops will be opened successively.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure l is a perspective view of a part of a common knee-stop for reed-organs with my improvement attached, the common knee-stop consisting of arocker-shatt provided with a flange. It represents it turned up to show the bevels or cam projections on the apron or flange of the rocker-shaft. Fig. 2 is a front. elevation of the same, showing it lowered.

The rods orwires A B G, which are connected with the stops of the organ, and which are provided with the bends A B C, or with equivalent projections orother analogous devices, are mounted to turn on their longitudinal axes on the board D,in the usual manner. A shaft, E, is journaled in two jaws, F, projecting from the board D which shaft extends across the bends AB' O of the wires A B O, and is provided at one end with a lever, Gr, for operating or working it, which is done by its being attached to the knee-lever. This shaft is provided with an apron or flange, H. This much, as described, is the common knee and hand stop action.

1n the accompanying drawings, H H H represent cam-projections attached to and beneath the flange H, and there are as many of these cam-projections as it is desired the stopaction should have gradations, and the number of grades may be two or more. These cam projections may successively increase from one end of the flange H to the other, either in one direction or the other, or they may be irregular. The stops are closed automatically by springs acting on the wires or rods A, B, O, &c., and when the stops are closed the bends A, B, C, &c., project from the surface of the board D. Any number of stops may be arranged on the board D. One

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or more stop-wires may be acted on by one cam-projection, as may be desired.

The operation is as follows: If the flange H is pressed against the stop-wires by depressing the lever G or in any other suitable manner, the highest cam-projection-for instance, H -will press the bend of the wire below itfor instance, G-toward the board D, and will turn the wire and will open the stop connected therewith. If the pressure on the flange H is continued, the next lower cam-projection-for instance, H -will press the bend B of the wire B toward the board 1) and will open the stop connected therewith, and so on. Thus by a slight pressure on the knee-stop E H part of the stops will be opened, by continued pressure more of the steps will be opened, and in this manner the stops can all be opened successively. If the knee-stop E H is pressed toward the board D to its full extent in one operation, all the stops will be operated simultaneously. It is thus left to the option of the player to open all the stops successively and part simultaneously or all simultaneously.

I have described fully only one way of arranging the improved knee-stop for opening the stops successively; but the application and construction of this knee-stop may be varied according to the different arrangements of the stop-action in the different organs. All that is necessary is to make the points of contact of the knee-stop with the hand-stops irregular or graduated, which will make the knee-stop, when operated, open and close the hand-stops successively. By means of this knee-stop all those stops are opened which have not been opened by the hand, in the same manner as by the ordinary knee-stop; but by the ordinary knee-stop all the stops are opened simultaneously, whereas by my improved knee-stop they can be opened simultaneously or successively.

I am aware that the stops of the reed-organ have been operated by the knee-lever, and opened and closed successively or in a graduated manner; but in each case it is done by special hand and knee stop action, which cannot be applied to general use in other organs, as the hand and knee stop action are difl'erent. Consequently it can be used only by adopting this special stop-action. But my device for producing the graduated action in the knee-stop is an improvement on this, as it is applied to the common or ordinary knee-stop in general use, which throws all the stops on simultaneously, but which, when my improvement is applied, is converted into a graduated knee-stop, opening and closing the stops successively, thus making it of general use, as its application is practicable to organs ofdiiferent mechanical construction in their stop-action; and it enables those using the ordinary knee-stop to avail themselves of the graduated knee-stop by simply applying my improve ment to their own stop-action. It is an improvement over the common knee-stop, as it opens and closes the stops successively as well as simultaneously.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In a reed-organ stop-action, the combination, with the stop-wires A B (J, connecting the stop-draws with the stop-valves, of the kneestop E H, provided with the cams H H H, arranged substantially as shown, whereby all the stops may be opened successively or in part, or all simultaneously, as set forth.

GEORGE S. MORSE.

Witnesses W. F. HODGE, AUGUST SCHULTZ. 

